


he shines brighter than the sun

by charliecha



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: But it's there for like a second, Friends to Lovers, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Just two soft boys kissing in the forest, Kang Yeosang is Bad at Feelings, Kang Yeosang is Whipped, Light Angst, M/M, Pining, Soft Park Seonghwa, Sunrises
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-03
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-12 19:40:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,281
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28515837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/charliecha/pseuds/charliecha
Summary: yeosang's attention shifts to the older boy standing next to him.the light reflecting on seonghwa's face makes it look as it's shining radiant almost as much as the sun itself, starry eyes widened in amazement and gleaming with curiosity and excitement, sparkling bright as if he's looking at the most beautiful thing in the whole world - the younger finds himself doing the same thing while looking at the other, mesmerized by the light in his eyes."yeah, it's breathtaking"
Relationships: Kang Yeosang & Park Seonghwa
Comments: 3
Kudos: 18





	he shines brighter than the sun

**Author's Note:**

> hi!!  
> so, this was requested by my dear friend - hi starlight, love you a lot - and it's also kinda inspired from a little piece of my life, so i had fun writing it!!
> 
> if you're like me and like to listen to music while reading, i'll link the playlist that kept me conpany through the writing process of all this because i think it matches the whole mood perfectly - and also it's inspired by hwa so you do what's best for you.
> 
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0YxzPcASvk41d198ZVTm0H
> 
> i hope you like it, please enjoy!!

seonghwa wakes up, eyes meeting the dark colored fabric of the tent above his head, moved slightly by the gentle wind outside.

he rubs his eyes in an attempt to chase away the last crumbs of sleep left in him and reaches under his pillow, patting around looking for his phone until he finds it.

he notices the battery is running low - taking a mental note to plug it in his portable charger after getting up - and locks it again after checking the clock.

5:37, it's still early in the morning, and even if his brain didn't fully wake up yet, he clearly remembers reading the numbers 4:13 when he last checked his phone before going to bed.

he looks around to check on his friends, just to make sure everyone is okay and nothing went wrong while he was out, even if it was for nothing more than an hour - after all, they could get in trouble in a matter of seconds.

next to him there's wooyoung, who is snoring loudly with his legs thrown over jongho's chest, but still snuggled up in san's hold, head stuck in the crook of the older's neck - given the position he's in, he shouldn't have that peaceful and relaxed expression on his face, but good for him, thinks seonghwa.

on his other side, hongjoong is sleeping soundly in yunho's arms, who has one hand intertwined in his messy, faded blue hair, and mingi is spooning him from behind, resting his head against the older's back and reaching one of his arms over him, naturally laid on yunho's waist.

 _this is new_ , thinks seonghwa, going to grab his phone again to take a picture of the rare sight of their small friend being this close to someone - and looking like he's enjoying it, on top of that.

but he suddenly realizes he only counted six of his friends in the tent.

_wait, where is yeosang?_

and just before he can get any more alarmed by the empty sleeping bed on one corner of the tent, he hears a noise coming from outside, followed by a whispered curse.

seonghwa slowly gets up, leaving his phone behind - not being of any use as its battery is now even lower than when he checked minutes before - and tugs at the zipper to open it, grabbing his shoes before going out.

as soon as he peeks his head outside the tent, he is welcomed by the rigid air grazing his skin and causing a shiver to travel down his spine, suddenly missing the warmth of his sleeping bed.

but he ignores the uncomfortable feeling as he spots yeosang sitting on a near bench, busy tying his shoe laces, 

seonghwa catches his attention as he closes the zipper behind him, wearing his own shoes - not wasting any time to put them on properly, they're old and pretty much ruined now anyway.

"oh, sorry, did I wake you up? I tripped, I didn't mean to make all that noise", says the younger, pointing at a rather big root emerging from the ground, not hard to notice as the first lights of the morning are already enlightening the area, making it easier to make out their surroundings - seonghwa can't help but wonder how the other still managed to trip despite all that.

"don't worry, I woke up some minutes ago," he chuckles, "but are you okay? why are you up this early?"

he's walking up to the younger, careful not to repeat his actions and keeping an eye on the root in the ground, to finally sit next to him on the bench, while yeosang's agile and slender fingers just finished tying the last knot on his shoelaces, resulting in a satisfied look on his face as if to answer the question.

"I couldn't sleep, so I figured I could take a walk to hopefully make my headache go away; do you want to join me?"

he raises his arms above his head, stretching them towards the colorful sky, hearing a few muffled cracking sounds coming from his now straightened back.

"yeah, why not, maybe it can help the both of us"

they exchange a brief smile before they get up, and start walking as soon as seonghwa readjusts his own shoes, not really wanting to fall face down on the ground because of its irregularities and all the objects obstructing their way.

there's no need for them to exchange any words about which path to choose as it's not the first time they come here: it's a nice place on a hill an hour or so away from their own house, where they often go to have some relax and to have fun together, usually after a tough times - in this last occasion, some of the boys had just managed to survive exams season - to blow off some steam.

they walk around to collect some wood to light up a fire, cook something to fill their stomachs and have a couple of drinks, talking about everything and nothing at the same time, sharing stories, secrets and concerns, sometimes even accidentally falling asleep under the starry sky, all cuddled up on top of a soft blanked to protect themselves from the freezing air of the night.

there's the prettiest place hidden in the woods, a place they discovered some years prior all thanks to san and wooyoung, who were very eager to go on an adventure and suddenly decided to depart from the marked path, creating one of their own - much to hongjoong's disapproval, who just followed their steps with a series of scoldings and curses that left his mouth one after another.

however, to their surprise, that path led the group to something close to a cliff, where you could sit and enjoy the panorama without endangering yourself in any way, busking under the touch of a light breeze, the sound of trees folding on themselves as the wind brushed up against them, admiring the multitude of clouds that traveled ahead of the sun casting shadows all over the valley beneath them, mixing and creating the most extravagant shapes - "look! that cloud looks like an alpaca with a wig! do you see it?" said one time wooyoung, pointing his finger up towards the sky at the white cloud.

that soon became one of their favourite places, so that's exactly where the two boys are directed now.

there's a comfortable silence between the two, as they let themselves get lost in the peaceful atmosphere, the crunching of leaves under their feet as they walk, and the distant chirping of birds singing at the firsts rays of sun lighting up the hill.

"i don't think i'll ever get tired of this place", says yeosang, more to himself that for the other to hear, looking up at the few branches sticking out from the crown of leaves above their heads.

seonghwa only hums in response, following his gaze, hinting a smile on his lips.

it doesn't take too much for them to get to their safe place, and when they do, their mouths are left hanging open at the sight in front of their eyes.

a magical mixture of every shade of pink and red and purple and blue is casted all over the sky, rising sun blurred by the slightest sheet of mist of the morning.

"woah," it slips away from seonghwa's lips without him realizing, "it's beautiful"

yeosang's attention shifts to the older boy standing next to him.

the light reflecting on seonghwa's face makes it look as it's shining radiant almost as much as the sun itself, starry eyes widened in amazement and gleaming with curiosity and excitement, sparkling bright as if he's looking at the most beautiful thing in the whole world - the younger finds himself doing the same thing while looking at the other, mesmerized by the light in his eyes.

"yeah, it's breathtaking"

after what feels like an eternity of the two boys staring at their closest definition of perfection, yeosang speaks again.

"come on, let's sit"

there's a large rock conveniently covered by layers of green moss here and there - which made it somewhat more comfortable than how it should have been - planted in the ground, big and stable enough for the both of them to sit without having to shift uncomfortably every two second to give a rest to their aching bodies.

they both flinch at the first contact with the cold stone, but settle eventually, knees and shoulders touching, managing to ignore the momentary discomfort and swinging their feet back and forth as they keep their gazes locked on the scenery ahead of them.

"i really had fun yesterday, by the way", says yeosang, reviving the few memories he can collect about the night before.

"yeah, it's been a while since we've been here all together, right? i really missed this place", an easy smile appears on seonghwa's face.

"this place, it really feels like home, you guys feel like home," speaks yeosang, drawing the older's attention, "you, you helped me so much these last few years, I'll never be able to thank you enough for that. i really don't know what i did to deserve all of you", a bit of hesitation sits in yeosang's voice, which lowers after every word, until it becomes a whisper.

"oh look at you, being all sentimental, looking in the distance and all", teases the older with an amused grin.

"oh shut up, you know I'm not good with words, I'm trying my best here"

he really is, it's not easy for him to speak about his feelings: he often comes off as being particularly blunt about what he thinks, but he still can't figure out the right way to express what he feels.

"I know you are; and I feel that way, too; and i'm sure the others think that as well", he becomes serious again, facing the horizon with a comforting smile painting his lips, "also, I don't think it should be said, because I hope you know that in that little head of yours, but we, this family, it wouldn't really be a family without you, make sure you never forget that"

 _how does he always manage to find the right buttons to push and the right words to say?_ , wonders yeosang, feeling his eyes start to itch a little as a few tears blur his vision slightly.

they let the conversation die like that, returning to the previous comfortable silence of their surroundings.

seonghwa feels his head become heavy, and chooses to let it fall onto yeosang shoulder for support, closing his eyes and taking in the familiar flowery smell of the boy, who tenses the slightest bit at the contact, but soon feels at ease again, after hearing the other's relaxed sigh.

"you didn't sleep much, did you?", asks yeosang, voice low; the older hums in response.

"only one hour, maybe; i had to make sure everyone was okay and managed to go to sleep without causing any trouble"

"and this, this is exactly why we can't live without you, either", he says it in a jokingly tone, but they both know it's the truth.

"i could have slept more if it wasn't for joongie sticking to me like glue in an attempt to take away the bottle i was putting away; i swear he was ready to burst into tears if i didn't give it to him"

yeosang tries to ignore the uncomfortable sting he feels in his chest as he goes back to the night before, when hongjoong was literally trying to climb on top of the older to reach the bottle in his hand, struggling because of their height difference.

"dear old hongjoong, he'll never change", they let out a chuckle that gets carried away by the light wind, travelling through the branches and leaves of the trees.

"why did you come with me then? you could have tried to sleep a bit more", asks yeosang after a moment, cocking his head to the side.

"mh, no, i like you more than sleep, i'd rather be here with you than anywhere else"

yeosang feels his cheeks heat up, _if you say it like that, it almost feels like a confession_ , but he puts the tought aside as soon as it shows up. 

and that's when silence makes its way between the two once again, but this time it's not as comfortable as they hoped; yeosang starts unconsciously fidgeting with the hem of his sweater, and it doesn't go unnoticed by seonghwa's eyes as he opens them slowly.

"sangie"

"mh?"

"did that make you uncomfortable?"

the younger takes a few seconds to consume a thought; did that make him uncomfortable? no, of course it didn't; the truth is that it did make his heart skip a beat, and, right now, he's worried he could say something wrong, because the other only meant it as a joke, for sure, _there's no way someone like him would really like someone like me, right?_ , that's something he has been repeating to himself since he first started realizing he had a big - and pretty obvious, as wooyoung often stated - crush for his older friend.

after all, what else could he do? he's been living in the fear of rejection for years now, because the thought of ruining their friendship - and splitting up their group of friends, as well - scared him more than living this lie.

at the lack of an answer, seonghwa raises his head, noticing that the other's gaze is still stuck on the rising sun, a little lost in his own thoughts.

"hey, don't worry, I'm just joking", he says through a chuckle, but for some reason, it only seems to make it worse.

yeosang's chest clenches, hurting a bit; but, after all, he's gotten used to it by now.

"yeah, i know you are", he finally turns his head to face the older, noses only inches apart now, and he's smiling, but it's clear to seonghwa that it's not genuine, but rather pained, and he notices that his eyes are shinier than usual.

his expression shifts to a softer one, and yeosang feels even more lost, eyes stealing a quick glance at his lips in a moment of weakness.

"hey, are you okay? did i say something wro-"

his question gets cut by a mouth crashing against his own, trapping his words between them.

yeosang is one of the nicest and sweetest people seonghwa has ever met in his life, and it shows in the way he kisses, in the gentle fingers grazing his cheeks, in the way his tongue moves cautiously and how his lips brush ever so delicately against his own.

he is taken aback by the action, and the younger doesn't give him enough time to reciprocate the kiss, because only now he realizes that what he is doing is not right, that the amount of love he feels for seonghwa is irrelevant when the latter doesn't feel the same, and that he should have been able to control his desire in a situation like this.

so he moves his hands on seonghwa's chest - trying hard to memorize every single detail about the kiss they just shared, from the tiny gasp that escaped his mouth at the surprise just to get trapped in his own, to the taste of alcohol still lingering on the other's soft lips from the night before - and reluctantly pulls away from him, from his _best friend_ , because that's all he is and will ever be for the other, and nothing more.

when yeosang finally opens his eyes again he meets seonghwa's hazy gaze, still processing everything that just happened, and the younger suddenly feels so small, like he wants to run away.

he lowers his head, gaze now fixed on his hands.

"sangie-"

"i- fuck, i'm sorry. i'm so sorry i don't know what has gotten into me," he stumbles on his words a couple of times as anxiety starts building up in him, "i know you don't feel the same way as i do, i just, please forget everything i did or said, i know you like hongjoong, you can pretend none of this ever happened, i'll-"

"yeosang, can you stop talking for a second"

and the younger meets his eyes again, startled by the other's firm and serious tone.

"i'm sorry, i thought you would have never stopped. why- why did you say i like joongie?", he asks, eyebrows coming together in confusion.

and yeosang mirrors the expression, cocking his head to the side.

"i- because, you do?"

"what? me and that rascal?", he lets out a light puff of air, "what makes you think i like him?"

"i, just do? i mean, everyone kind of does? you're always complimenting him and taking care of him"

"i take care of all of you", he answers, matter of factly.

"okay, but-"

"he needs more attention than all of you because he doesn't know how to take care of himself properly; i love him, but we're just friends, there's nothing more to it. plus, i'm pretty sure he likes someone else already", says the older, recalling the picture of their friend comfortably snuggled between mingi and yunho that same morning.

"wait, who is it?"

"that's not my secret to tell, sorry"

"oh", yeosang pouts, but then his mind goes back to the main topic of their conversation, "wait, so you don't like hongjoong?"

"no, i don't like him", he shakes his head, laughing a bit at the thought.

"do you, do you like anyone else, then?", yeosang isn't aware of it, but his eyes are shining hopeful, and seonghwa gets to the conclusion that he is, without any doubt, the cutest boy he's ever met.

"yeosang?", he doesn't answer - or, at least, the questioning tone distracts yeosang from the fact that that is, in fact, the actual answer.

"yes?"

"what do you think about going out to eat somewhere when we come back home? just the two of us?"

"as in, take me on a date?", he asks, still a bit hesitant and doubting.

"yes," he smiles at the reaction, "that's exactly what that meant"

"yes! of course i would go out with you! do you even have to ask?"

the younger looks like a kid who's just been given a bag full of candies, eyes sparkling and full of joy, resting his hands on the other's thigh and leaning closer, looking up into his eyes.

they exchange an honest smile, and yeosang's cheeks are once again painted in a soft shade of pink as he realizes he's all up in the other's personal space - but neither of them seems to mind so much.

 _i really want to kiss him again_ , yeosang thinks, and seonghwa lets out a chuckle, amused.

"go ahead"

the younger widens his eyes, taken aback.

"wait, did I say that out loud?"

"there's no need for you to say a word, i can see it in your eyes"

"oh- so, can i, kiss you again?", he asks in a whisper, coming even closer to the older.

"yes, please do"

and the younger doesn't waste a second more, closing the gap between them and tasting him again, deepening the kiss this time, resting his arms behind seonghwa's neck to pull him closer, as the older's hands find yeosang's waist.

yeosang finds himself smiling into the kiss, glad that he doesn't have to imprint this feeling in his memory, because he'll be able to experience it again, and again, and again.

and if anyone noticed their intertwined fingers on their way back to the tent, no one mentioned it.

**Author's Note:**

> and this is it!!  
> feel free to let me know what you think about it with a comment, and thank you for reading <3


End file.
